Team Member Recognition

Sabala Focuses on Veterans' Wellness

News Tribune Article by Jennifer Pallikkathayil; Photo by Abram Barker

Army veteran Jon Sabala was getting ready to begin a career helping small businesses develop plans and establish an online presence.

But life had other plans for Sabala.

After a 22-year career in the U.S. Army, he was finishing up degrees at Lincoln University when he noticed an internship opportunity. The opportunity was through the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) for someone to help with computer program coding. He figured it would be good practical experience.

Instead, then-DMH Director Keith Schafer recognized Sabala as someone who could meet a need in the department helping veterans across the state.

"He invited me to talk," Sabala said, "and he said, 'You know what? DMH isn't doing anything for the military community right now. Can you help out?'"

Sabala became the department's first director of veterans services. Now about 16 years into the position, he said he's found his passion.

"I'm still connected to the military community after 22 years of service and knowing the impact that military life could have on people and trying to create different programs and strategies to help address those needs, it really feels like I'm still giving back, like I'm still part of the mission of the military," Sabala said.

As director, Sabala is tasked with identifying gaps and barriers to services, particularly behavioral health services. That includes addressing areas such as mental health, substance misuse and suicide prevention for service members, veterans and their families, as well as developing strategies to tackle those issues.

One of Sabala's latest initiatives is the "Live Life Mission" wellness campaign.

Through the campaign, Sabala said he wants to empower service members, veterans and their families with ideas for improving different areas of wellness, including emotional, social and financial wellness.

The campaign was inspired by Sabala's travels across the state as he visited veterans and families and noticed many weren't actively working on themselves.

He began discussing ideas with veterans groups across the state, eventually developing "Live Life Mission," which launched in mid-August. Individuals can visit the department's page at dmh.mo.gov/veterans, select "Live Life Mission" at the top and pick categories to explore. Each wellness category has a document that will pop up.

"They talk about how military life can sometimes negatively impact that particular wellness group and then how to work on it and learn about the benefits and values of working on it," he said.

In each category, there are about 30 small steps -- such as meditating for a few minutes each day or making an effort to call a loved one -- that people can do on their own to improve their health, happiness and wellness, Sabala said.

Additionally, people can sign up for the bi-monthly Small Steps email newsletter to get motivational messages, wellness information and tips on how to improve wellness, according to dmh.mo.gov.

In his tenure at DMH, Sabala created the Missouri Veterans Suicide Prevention Team after recognizing suicides as a risk among veterans. The prevention team is made up of volunteer, certified suicide prevention trainers, who are either veterans themselves or family members of veterans. They conduct free, in-person training with groups to help with suicide prevention and recognizing someone in crisis.

Additionally, Sabala leads a Wellness Champion program where he trains volunteers in veteran service organizations like the American Legion, VFW and others. Through this program, it helps organizations recognize veterans with behavioral health distress and how to deal with someone in distress and connect them to local and state resources, Sabala said.

He said that while he's proud of these two programs, there's often worry in the back of his mind.

"Am I doing enough? Am I addressing enough people? As I go to conferences and talk with veterans and their families, I keep hearing about more health issues or more concerns that they have," he said. "So I'm just doing the best I can to put the message out there about where to go for assistance and make sure I'm helping to reduce some of those barriers that they have to care."

Team Members of the Month: July 2026

DMH is extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated group of employees deploying to disasters and events throughout Missouri.  This month we recognize the Office of Disaster Services (ODS) team as the DMH Team Members of the Month: Director Beckie Gierer, Deputy Director, Alyssa Backes, and team members Tamara Fish, Deb Hendricks, Molly Hayes, Josie Nichols and Blaze the Service Dog.

 In early June, the ODS team deployed to Kansas City to provide behavioral health support alongside Public Safety’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) for the FIFA World Cup events.  Just a few days after arrival, some of the ODS team were dispersed from Kansas City to help at the fatal plane crash site in Butler, MO. Joined by Behavioral Health Strike Team (BHST) members, ODS provided support to impacted family members, airport employees, and first responders.

Back in Kansas City, ODS and BHST members worked long days at Arrowhead Stadium, and at the FIFA Fan Fest location in the Power and Light District. At these sites they offered psychological first aid and managed event goers who were in emotional distress or crisis.  Team members also handed out water and cooling towels to public safety and law enforcement working in the different areas.

Near the end of the FIFA deployment in mid-July, ODS and BHST members divided again to deploy to southeast Missouri to assist with the aftermath of a major flooding event. The team was present and ready to provide support in Lesterville when the Blackhawk helicopters carrying flash flood survivors from Camp Taum Sauk touched down.

The ODS team’s excellent planning for FIFA, since 2024, and the coordination with multiple organizations resulted in no significant incidents during Missouri’s largest sporting event ever. Plus, the readiness of the team to shift locations and provide vital support when needed for additional emergencies is truly impressive. 

A special shout out to Blaze the Service Dog!  This furry team member provided support to his handler and the ODS team and was a calming presence for first responders during some extremely tough situations. 

Excellent work, team ODS! Congratulations! 

News Tribune Article by Jennifer Pallikkathayil

When the phone company that Jennifer DeLett-Snyder was working for was sold, she faced a choice: relocate to another state with the company or choose a different career.

She chose a position in her home state of Nevada that focused on substance use prevention in a resource center near where she lived. It was a field that intrigued her, being someone with a master's degree in library science and a love of research.

It gave her a chance to study the brain and youth substance use, said DeLett-Snyder, who is now the prevention services coordinator at the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

"I thought this was an interesting area and maybe it was a place where I could do some good work," she said.

She ended up working for 17 years in Nevada with schools, law enforcement and other community partners on substance use prevention.

Now she's guiding others across the state of Missouri who are working in the field, as the prevention services coordinator, at the Missouri Department of Mental Health. She's worked in this role for nearly three years.

In her role, she oversees substance use prevention, suicide prevention and compulsive gambling prevention -- a new initiative of the state, as of this month, since sports betting became legal in Missouri in 2025.

In her job, she works with 10 regional prevention resource centers, much like the one she worked for in Nevada, as well as contracted agencies.

"I understand the role they're in because I've been there," she said. "I think it helps them knowing they have someone at the state who understands what they do and some of the issues and challenges they have."

Her previous job at the phone company was in community relations, which has come in handy as she educates and provides information about prevention.

"I want to make sure people have information," she said, "and that they know how it can be used to make behavior changes.'"

One of Snyder's favorite parts of her job is when she receives grant funding she applied for and knows will put more money into the hands of her partners for important prevention work.

"They're already doing good work with very little resources, and if we can give them more, I know they'll do good things with it," she said. "It’s really rewarding knowing we have these professionals in the communities who are willing to take the time to make sure messaging gets out, lessons are delivered, and all the other work that needs to be done to help prevent youth from getting involved with substances."

Now she's working with the same organizations to work on preventing compulsive gambling. She said while some of the risk factors and protective factors somewhat overlap, there's still been plenty to learn.

"I lived in the state of Nevada where gambling was legal, but we didn't have gambling prevention efforts there," she said. "Here I've taken courses and am trying to prepare our prevention providers as well. I've brought in experts to teach them information they need to know about gambling prevention."

So far, her department has debuted signs during the World Cup about sports betting, alerting people to compulsive gambling and resources available for those facing the dangers of compulsive gambling. The department is now working on social media videos, including videos to help parents understand what problem gambling looks like and how gambling can be found in mobile app games.

Whether DeLett-Snyder is working on the prevention of substance use or compulsive gambling, one thing that keeps her up at night is how something out there is always trying to grab the attention of youth -- whether it's a new drug or an online app that includes gambling.

But prevention is an area where she has done good work, and she doesn't have plans to stop.

Edits by DMH have been made for clarity

Team Member of the Month: June 2026

Team members who step in at a moment’s notice and maintain a positive outlook are the kind of people you want on your team. June’s DMH Team Member of the Month continues to foster a supportive work environment and keep team morale high.

Administrative Support Clerk, Michelle Hutchason, originally started her career with Fulton State Hospital as a group home aide and then joined the Hearnes Forensic Center team. While working in Environmental Services, she stepped in without hesitation to help fill a gap at the switchboard. 

“Michelle collaborated quickly with team members to redistribute responsibilities and maintained a positive attitude throughout the shift,” said a co-worker.  “Michelle is someone we can always rely on; what truly sets her apart is her kindness, compassion and team-first mindset.”

The FSH team says that Michelle makes a difference in team morale, consistently going above and beyond to offer support and assist others without being asked. 

“She brings a level of care and kindness that impacts both coworkers and visitors alike,” a team member also said. “She sets a strong example for the entire team.”

After 25 years with FSH, Michelle is planning to spend her last two years before retirement providing excellent service at the switchboard. Well done, Michelle. Congratulations!

Team Member of the Month: May 2026

Ensuring success during times of change takes dedication and collaboration. Department-wide, the DMH team has been working diligently on the Electronic Health Records (EHR) project, CHARTe (Comprehensive Health and Record Tracking.) When Go-Live dates were fast approaching, the Northwest Community Services (NWCS) team says that their successful EHR transition process would not have been possible without the strong leadership of Staff Development Manager, Elizabeth Ahrens.

“Elizabeth went above and beyond in helping NWCS as a whole in preparing for the CHARTe transition,” said the NWCS team. 

NWCS said Elizabeth led her team in a “Log-In Fair,” ensuring that staff and their equipment would be ready for the Go-Live date; checking that laptops and software were working and guiding staff in navigating Powerchart and Care Tracker Mobile.

“Elizabeth’s guidance and team approach helped with Go-Live support for 2 weeks. Visiting homes, doing rounds, working long hours, fielding phone calls, answering questions. They did EHR training on top of their regular duties to ensure all staff were trained on how to use the new system. They really stepped up.”

The NWCS team says while implementing EHR and CHARTe has been a collaborative effort with many people within DMH, NWCS particularly owes the success they've had in their CHARTe transition to Liz and her team.

“Without Elizabeth’s efforts it would have been a lot harder for NWCS staff, and the organization as a whole. They’ve been go-getters, always available to help, and have been a vocal part of making sure things are taken care of and done right.”

Elizabeth has been with Northwest Community Services for 14 years. Congratulations, Elizabeth! Well done.

Team Member of the Month: April 2026

New perspectives, when combined with initiative, can make all the difference in providing effective training for staff and quality care to the individuals DMH serves. Rolla Satellite Office has one team member in particular who has demonstrated the positive impact that a new perspective can have. Over the last several months, Missy Thompson’s team says that she has flourished in her relatively new role as a Quality Program RN (QPRN). 

In less than a year, Missy's team says she has not only become proficient in her role but has greatly contributed to the positive culture of the Rolla Satellite Office while handling challenges head-on as the team has experienced recent changes resulting from retirements.  

“Missy made it a priority to meet with her retiring co-QPRN often, ensuring that the transition ahead would be as efficient as possible. We know she will be a wonderful mentor to our new QPRN.”

During her time at Rolla Satellite Office, Missy’s contributions to training discussions have also aided in implementing a streamlined process for their Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST) training. Missy’s team says that their HRST training process used to take 180 days of onboarding for new QPRNs. 

“Missy was one of the first nurses to go through this training as a new QPRN. She was vocal about the 180 days of training being too long, limiting the quality of review that we were providing to the individuals served,” said Missy’s team. 

With the help of Missy and other QPRNs’ insights, the Rolla Satellite team says their HRST training process has become much more efficient and now takes between 2 and 3 weeks to be completed, allowing new QPRNS to utilize the HRST to serve individuals much faster than before.

“Missy taking the initiative to speak up when a process was inefficient, especially as a newer team member, is a big reason why we want her to be recognized for this,” her team said.

Missy has now been with DMH for a year. Well done, Missy. Congratulations!

Missouri Department of Mental Health leader focuses on overdose prevention, crisis response statewide

News Tribune Article and photo by Jennifer Pallikkathayil

A box of overdose-reversal medication sits within arm's reach of Christine Smith's desk -- a daily reminder of the stakes of her work.

Smith is the director of prevention and crisis services at the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Sometimes known as the "Naloxone Queen" by her peers because of the box and her job, Smith helps coordinate DMH's efforts to make sure Naloxone is made available in communities to prevent fatal overdoses.

The department is trying to make sure the state is "saturated" with Naloxone, so if people need it, it can be easily accessed, she said.

"For the past few years we've seen a drastic decline in overdose deaths, so that's something we can't let up," she said.

If people have questions about where they can find Naloxone in their communities, information is available on an interactive map at getmissourinaloxone.com/pick-up-today.

Smith also works in primary prevention work, which includes substance use prevention.

Her department works with about 10 contracted prevention resource centers and about 150 community coalitions across the state working in substance use prevention.

"It's really just trying to reduce harmful effects and make sure we have healthy communities and reduce the onset of a substance use issue," she said.

Smith and her team are also working with health care systems and provider agencies to prevent suicides.

DMH operates under a Zero Suicide Grant and is implementing the Zero Suicide Model across multiple health systems, focusing on improved care coordination in emergency departments and hospitals, strengthening the state's crisis hotline system and expanding suicide prevention training, Smith said.

The department also works with service members and their families on suicide and substance use prevention.

Smith said she likes making an impact in the area of prevention and crisis services. She began working in the field through one-on-one help through counseling and case management earlier in her career. Now she is taking her field experience to help make an impact across the state and system.

She attended the University of Missouri, where she worked as a work-study student at a substance use residential treatment program. She performed clerical duties there and was offered a full-time position after graduation.

Working at the facility "helped her connect some dots," she said, especially as she reflected on family members who had struggled with substance use.

She later worked as a drug court counselor before becoming an HIV case manager and other roles for the Department of Health and Senior Services.

One of the things that now keeps Smith up at night is the tight budget years where funding support gets cut or reduced. For example, this season there is ongoing budget discussions about funding for Naloxone distribution going on in the Missouri legislature.

"(We are) just really making sure that we have that funding support to continue the efforts and the really good foundations that we have with our programs here," Smith said. "I would say that's a worry for me and just the resources to continue what we've implemented and what's working."

Team Member of the Month: March 2026

As soon as Harley Loper went through new employee orientation as a Support Care Assistant at Southwest Community Services (SWCS), the team knew she would be a great asset to their Individual Supported Living program. 

Harley’s team recalls noticing her patience, dedication, and compassion right away. Harley’s fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) is a great asset, helping staff more effectively communicate with individuals SWCS serves whose main form of communication is ASL. 

“One particular individual gets frustrated easily when staff members are unable to communicate,” said one co-worker. “If Harley is working, she can have a conversation with him, which makes everyone’s day go smoother and avoids his frustrations and behaviors.”

Harley is also a patient and effective teacher. Another resident wanted to learn to play his new guitar, and Harley stepped up.  After 30 minutes, the aspiring musician learned the proper hand placement and chords for his new instrument. After his lesson, the individual was ecstatic to show everyone the new song he learned.

Fellow staff say, “The level of care she provides our individuals is one to be modeled throughout our program, and her willingness to learn more is unmatched. We tell our employees to be lifelong learners, and she is a prime example of that.”

Harley has been with SWCS for a year and a half. Congratulations, Harley. Well done

Team Member of the Month: February 2026

When new systems and procedures are implemented at DMH, it can present opportunities for staff to rise to the challenge. One DMH Central Office team member in particular has been tackling a new system head on and providing department-wide support.

Over the last 15 months, Kerry Branch, Accountant Supervisor in the Division of Administrative Services, has been leading the way in DMH’s efforts to implement the new financial system Missouri Vital Enterprise Resource System (MOVERS). When Kerry joined the MOVERS project team to test the system’s functionality, she dedicated time to teach herself. With MOVERS being integrated among various functional areas, Kerry found herself learning new skills outside of her normal duties to support other DMH staff as they learned to navigate the new system together. Kerry organized and led desk efforts and assisted facility staff to work on their readiness too, even setting up one-on-one trainings for those who needed it. 

“Never did she say, ‘that is not my job,’ she jumped right in and learned about these other areas,” said one of Kerry’s team members. 

Interacting with a wide range of fiscal employees across DMH, Kerry’s team also said her patience and understanding was deeply appreciated and praised by the many of the staff she assisted.

Kerry helped DMH become a leading department in MOVERS implementation readiness. She continuously looks for ways to support these efforts and is truly committed to DMH’s success.

Kerry has been with DMH for over seven years, and the state for seventeen years. Congratulations, Kerry. Well done!

Team Member of the Month: January 2026

Maintaining a safe and healthy facility is always a top priority for DMH staff. Daily operations can present their own challenges, but when an unexpected event occurs in a facility, it’s team members that go above and beyond that make all the difference in ensuring the safety of their team and the people they serve.

When Center for Behavioral Medicine (CBM) experienced flooding in one of their units, Custodial Supervisor, Christopher Murphy, rose to the challenge to ensure that the affected unit could be safely reopened for CBM patients and staff. Christopher’s team recalled the extensive restorative work that he put in, working extra hours to ensure the unit could be reopened on time. 

“When the unit flooded, Chris found out what kind of flooring would be used for the unit. He then found the proper way to finish the flooring, found the special wax for it and took the time to apply and buff all the new flooring. Then Chris took the time to strip and rewax every patient room, exam room, and office to make sure the unit was completely redone.” 

CBM’s leadership team notes that Christopher has also selflessly applied his skills to CBM’s machinery, making several repairs and saving funds for the facility. 

In addition to his invaluable handiwork, Christopher’s team says that his positive attitude is infectious and that he is a great supervisor, often working alongside his team or holding additional training sessions to ensure his environmental services team knows how to safely operate machinery. 

Well done, Christopher. Congratulations!